Avraham Shapira

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Rabbi Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira is a prominent figure in the Religious Zionist world. Rabbi Shapira has been the head of the Rabbinic court of Jerusalem, and both a member and the head of the Supreme Rabbinic Court. He was the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993. He is currently the head of yeshivat Mercaz haRav in Jerusalem.

Avraham Shapira was born to a Jerusalemite family on May 15, 1917. As a child, he studied at Yeshiva Etz Chaim in Jerusalem, later moving to the Hebron Yeshiva, where he studied under Rabbis Moshe Mordechai Epstein and Yechezkel Sarna. After his marriage, he was invited to join the Mercaz haRav yeshiva, where he has remained ever since. Even in his youth, Rabbi Shapira succeeded in establishing connections with great rabbis such as the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Zvi Pesach Frank, Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik and Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, with whom he corresponded for many years, later publishing the correspondences in a book, Even haEzel. In 1956, he was appointed as a member of the Jerusalem Beth din by the Chief rabbi, Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. In 1971 he was appointed as Av Beit Din, and in 1980 he became chief rabbi of Israel.

Preceded by Shlomo Goren

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Avraham Shapira 1983–1993

Succeeded by Yisrael Meir Lau